Three companies, two of them repeat winners, topped a field of 75 finalists to be named "Best Place to Work in Maine" at an awards ceremony Tuesday night at the Augusta Civic Center.

Edward Jones, Patriot Subaru of Saco and Maine Information Network — respectively, the large, medium and small company winners — were named top places to work in the 13th year of the program sponsored by Maine State Council of the Society for Human Resources Management.

About 650 people, most of them from the 75 companies that made the final cut, attended Tuesday's awards ceremony. The 75 finalists were announced in August.

The program recognizes companies that have established and consistently fostered outstanding workplace environments, the human resources council said. It marks the most recent step in a long-term initiative to encourage growth and excellence among all Maine companies, the council said.

The theme of the night was that all of the 75 finalists were winners.

"You did it. You created a place where employees love to work," Peter Burke, president of Best Companies Group, told the gathering.

Burke said that current studies show that on average 41% of employees say they're engaged or committed to their employer. The businesses represented Tuesday night had a 92% engagement and commitment rating from employees, according to the surveys used to determine the best places to work.

Best Companies Group evaluates each company's employee policies and procedures as well as survey responses from the companies' employees. Best said Tuesday that 75% of the final assessment was based on employee surveys, 25% on the company's policies and procedures.

"This is not a participation award," said Amie Parker, state director of Society for Human Resources Management Maine State Council. All the companies represented at the Civic Center Tuesday night "have earned it."

Reflections from the winners

"We have strived so hard to create an engaging place to work, and to do it in the state of Maine is just a bonus," said Peter Neelon, financial advisor for the Belfast office of financial services provider Edward Jones, which won the top honor for large companies (250 or more employees) for the fifth year in a row.

Patriot Subaru of Saco, top company in the medium business category (50-249 employees), also won for the fifth year in a row.

Brian Beattie, general manager, joked he didn't know how the company kept winning. "I don't think I'm that nice a boss," he said to laughter from the crowd. But he added that those who work for the company "have fun every day we go to work."

Maine Information Network, based in Augusta, winner in the small business category (15-49 employees) first made the list last year.

Dan Andrews, administrator for the firm, which provides support for the state government website, said the staff is great to work with.

"To the extent we can provide them a good place to work, that's a no-brainer," he said.

Several companies finished higher than they did last year.

Making significant jumps were Maine State Credit union, which rose from 17 to 2 and SymQuest, which rose from 25 to 7 in the Medium Company category. Planson International moved from 12 to 2 in the Small Company category. In the Large Company category, Consigli Construction Co. rose from 12 to 2 and TPx Communications from 15 to 8.

This year's finalists

Aside from the winners, other companies recognized Tuesday, along with this year's ranking: